40 
First Report on Economic Zoology. 
Cliermes corticalis, Kalt, on Pine Trees. 
Conifer shoots and bark, sent by a correspondent of the Board of 
Agriculture from Holmleigh, Matfield, Paddock Wood, Kent, covered 
with a plant louse which belonged to the genus Chermes, several of 
which attack conifers. It is known as Chermes corticalis, Kalt. 
The apterous female is small, oval and yellowish-brown in colour, 
the abdomen exuding a large quantity of white, flocculent silky matte 
mixed with white meal ; beneath this the insect conceals itself. It is 
rather firmly fixed to the bark by its short rostrum with long flexible 
setae. The pupal stage is oblong and has transverse brown bars on 
the abdomen, the wing cases, antennae and legs also deep brown. 
These give rise to the winged viviparous female, which has a black, 
shiny thorax, and abdomen ringed and covered with masses of white 
wool ; the legs are black, and the fuscous wings have coarse brown 
veins. 
The insects are very harmful when present in large numbers ; 
the trees should be sprayed with paraffin emulsion, especially when 
the larva? are hatching out, and the disease in consequence rapidly 
spreading. The larvae were very active when the specimen arrived 
in June. 
This species is often destructive to the Scotch pine ( Finns 
sylvestris ) and Weymouth pine ( Pinas strobus ), both on the twigs and 
trunk. The white flocculent matter is seen in June around the base 
of the needles. There the wingless female produces her yellow eggs, 
which gradually become brown. 
Numerous natural enemies occur in this species ; the ova are 
preyed upon, according to Buckton, by the larvae of Scymnvs dis- 
coideus , and by the Land Bug ( Anthocoris fuscci , Kalt), and by the 
larvae of Agromyza chermivora, Kalt. 
